Gangland: Cape Town

This black and white photographic series documents the lives of current and ex-gang members in Cape Town as well as the communities and people surrounding them. From active gangs operating in Cape Town’s townships and ghettos, reforming criminals in Drakenstein Correctional Centre, to ex-convicts rehabilitating in halfway houses. Cape Town, widely known as a tourist destination for its historical sites and natural beauty, has become Africas most dangerous city. The police recorded more than 2,800 murders in 2018, and its homicide rate — about 66 killings per 100,000 people — is surpassed by only the most violent cities in Latin America. The violence largely stems from escalating turf battles between gangs that traffic in drugs, weapons and illicit goods. Authorities estimate that some 130 gangs operate in the Western Cape Province.